Apparatus for cleaning coal



Dec. 4, 1928.

E. OTOOLE APPARATUS FOR CLEANING GOAL Filed Sept. 2'7, 1927 2Sheets-Sheet I 17:11am];- Zffawmea 07001.5,

Wines-sea E. OTOOLE APPARATUS FOR CLEANING COAL Dec. 4, 1928. 1,693,861

Filed Sept. 2'7, 1927 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 [pmqep "O 7004 E;

Patented Dec. 4, 1928. I UNITED STATES 1,693,861 PATENT OFFICE.

EDWARD OTOOLE, OF GARY, WEST VIRG1N IA APPARATUS FOR CLEANING COAL.

Application filed September 27, 1927. Serial No. 222,308.

This invention relates to improvements in apparatus .for cleaning andsizing coal and other materials, in which a blast of air is used as oneof the cleaning and sizing forces, and has for its object the provisionof a semi-. closed circuit for the air forced through the material beingcleaned and sized, whereby said air used over and over in the operationof the apparatus and all excess air discharged from the system isfiltered to remove all dust.

Another object is to prevent the'escape of dust through the dischargeports. for the sized and cleaned material, and to otherwise generallyimprove apparatus of this class.

The present invention may be applied to pneumatic cleaning and sizingapparatusof the prior art, such as shown in the patent to Henr M.Sutton, Walter F. Steel, and Edwin (goodwin, No. 1,608,997, datedOctober 19, 1926, and, therefore, since the present improvement liesprimarily in the air circusizing apparatus as a whole, which comprises afeed hopper 2 which delivers the coal or other material to be cleanedand sized onto a feeding table 3. The table 3 is adapted to deliver ordischarge the material to be cleaned and sized onto a perforated bed 4which is inclined forwardly and from the center toward each side and isadapted to be jigged in a longitudinal direction by an eccentricallyoperated rod 5.

The bed 4 is provided With riflie strips 6 adapted to retard themovement of the material to be sized.

The coal or other material to be sized is fed onto the rear end of thebed 4 and due to the effect of the combined forces caused by jigging ofthe bed and the up-fiow of air, the

large pieces of coal, fines and slate or bonev are separated. The largepieces of coal will roll by gravity to the sides of the bed first, andthe fines will follow the riflie strips to a point adjacent the forward,end of the bed, while the slate and bone, due'to their weight,

will ride to the extreme forward end of the Separating bars 7 areadjustably mounted at each side of the bed for defining the line of1separation between the separated materia s;

Hoppers 8 are arranged along each side of the bed to receive theseparated material.

A hood 9 is arranged over the bed and feeding table, and extends beyondthe side edges of the table to provide clearance for the discharge ofthe sized and cleaned material.

The hood 9 terminates at its rear end in a reduced conduit section 10,which is con-. nected to a conduit 12 connected to ahoppershapedexpansion chamber 13. I The chamber 13 is connected to a conduit 14,which is in turn connected to the inlet or suction port of a fan 15. Thefan 15 has its discharge or blast port connected to a conduit 16 whichconnected to the lower end of an air chest 17, which air chest extendsupwardly and is connected to the lower side of cleaning and sizingapparatus A so as to deliver a1r under pressure to the apparatus, whichair is adapted to pass upwardly through the perforated bed plate 4,through the material to be separated,and into the hood 9.

The air chest 17 is provided with fabric or fine mesh side walls 19 sothat excess airv may escape therethrough.

Any dust entrained in the air e'scapin through the walls 19 of the airchest 17 wil be trapped, ,andwill fall down to the lower end thereof.

The lower end of the chest 17 is connected to a manifold conduit 20,which has a plurality of valved outlet spouts 21 to which bags 22 areadapted to be secured to receive any dust or extreme fines. v

The expansion chamber 13 may be provided with any suitable outletopening at its lower end to permit the discharge of the dust and fines.However, for the purpose of illustration, I have shown a screw eonveyer24:

for removing the dust and fines from the eX- being sized and cleaned,and will carry the extreme fines and dust from said material up into thehood 9, from which the air and entrained dust will be drawn bythesuction created by the fan 15, through the conduits 10 and 12 intothe expansion chamber 13.

-When the dust ladened air enters the chamber '13 it will expand and themajor portion of the dust and fines entrained 'the'rein'will settle'outin the chamber 13. The substantially dust free air will be drawn fromthe chamber 13 through the conduit 1&1, back into the fan 15, and againforced through theconduit 16 and chest 17 and up through the cleaningand sizing apparatus.

Due to the openings along each side of the bed 4 through which the sizedand cleaned material passes to the hoppers 8, the suction outlets 2]. inthe manifold 20, one or more ofv which maybe opened to permit excess airto escape, and any dust carried by the escaping air is filtered throughthe bags 22 and thereby saved since it has a considerable commercialvalue.

A further means is provided to insure the escape of all excess air inthe perforated or fabric side walls 19 of the chest 17 If the pressureof the air in the chest 17 is excessive it will escape through the sidewalls 19 and any dust entrained in such escaping air will be trapped orfiltered out by the-side walls 19 and will fall down into the manifold20 so as to be carried through the open outlets 21 into the bags 22.

The semi-closed system above described will clean and salvage all thedust from the materialvbeing cleaned and sized, and will further, due todraft of air taken in through the material discharge openings and thesuction in the hood 9, prevent the escape of any dust from theapparatus. t

While I have shown and described one specific form of apparatus it willbe'understood that I do not wish to,,be limited thereto since variousmodifications may be made without departing from the scope ofmyinvention as defined in the appended claims.

1. The combination with a coal cleaning apparatus comprising, a sizing,

and sizin and oleanlng table having a perviou's deck through which airis adapted to be forced under pressure upwardly through the coal, aplurality of outlets for the sized and cleaned coal, of a hood arrangedover said table, a suctionconduit leading from said hood to anGXPBJ1S10I1 chamber, a fan having its inlet port connected to saidexpansion chamber,

hood to an expansion chamber,

an air chest connected to the lower side of said sizing and cleaningtable and to the discharge port of said fan, and a manifold memberconnected to the lower end of said air chest and provided with aplurality of valved outlets for regulating the pressure of the airdelivered to said table.

2. The combination with a coal cleaning and sizing apparatus comprising,a sizing and cleaning table having a perviousdeck through which air isadapted to be forced under pressure upwardly through the coal,

a plurality of outlets for the sized and cleaned coal, of a hoodarranged over said table, a suction conduit leading from said hood to anexpansion chamber, a fan having its inlet port connected to saidexpansion chamber, a pervious air chest connected to the lower side ofsaid sizing and cleaning table and to the discharge port of said fan,adapted to deliver air under pressure to said table and to filter andpermit some excess air to escape, and at least one valved outletconnected to said air chest for regulating the pressure of air deliveredto said table.

3. The combination with a coal cleaning and sizing apparatus comprising,a sizing and cleaning table having a pervious deck through which air isadapted to be forced under pressure upwardly through the coal, aplurality of outlets for the sized and cleaned coal, of a hood arrangedover said table, a suction conduit leading from said a fan having itsinlet port connected to said expansion chamber, an air chest connectedto the lower side of said sizing and cleaning table and to the dischargeport of said fan, and at least ,one valved outlet connected to said airchest for regulatingthe pressure of air delivered to said table. 2 v i4. The combination with a coal cleaning and sizing apparatus comprising,a sizing and cleaning table having a pervious deck through which airisadapted to be forced under pressure upwardly through the coal, aplurality of outlets for the sized and cleaned coal, of a hood arrangedover said table, a suction conduit leading from said hood to anexpansion chamber, a fan having its inlet port connected to saidexpansion chamber, a pervious air chest connected to the lower side ofsaid sizing and cleaning table and to the dischar e port of said fan,adapted to deliver air an er pressure to. said table and to filter andpermit some excess air to escape, a manifold member connected to thelower end of said air chest and provided with a plurality of valvedoutlets for regulating the'pressure of air delivered to said table, anddust catching air filter bags connected to each of said last namedoutlets.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand. I

EDWARD OTOOLE.

